Wreck of the "Floridian," Emigrant Ship, on the Long Sands, off Harwich. Illustrated London News. 10 March 1849.
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Nearly 200 Lives Lost

We have to record this week one of the most frightful
catastrophes that, probably, ever occurred on the English coast, viz.
the total loss of a large emigrant ship, on the Long Sands, near
Harwich, with nearly 200 souls on board, during the tempestuous and
fearful weather on Wednesday (last week [i. e., 7 March]). The gale
commenced in the early part of Wednesday morning, the wind blowing
from the soth-west; and, as the day advanced, the violence of the
storm increased, and continued till between six and seven o'clock in
the evening. Aheavy snow-storm followed, and lasted till midnight.

During the prevalence of the storm on Thursday several
vessels were wrecked on the Long Sands: among them was a Dutch
Indiaman, named the Dyle, Captain Laws, bound from Antwerp to
Havannah, the crew of which (with the exception of one poor fellow)
were picked up by her Majesty's revenue-cutter Scout, and
landed at Harwich. A large schooner shared a similar fate on the same
sands, with the loss of every soul of her crew. Seven or eight total
losses are also reported as having happened on the adjacent shoals,
but these do not form the extent of the disasters. Her Majesty's
revenue-cutter, Petrel, has communicated the melancholy
intelligence of the appalling loss of an emigrant ship on the same
sands, and that nearly 200 beings perished with her. Only four of the
many on board survived, and these the Petrel rescued. . . .
.

The ill-fated vessel was the bark Floridian, 500
tons burden, Mr. E. D. Whitmore, master, from Antwerp. She was the
property of Mr. E. D. Hulbert, of New York, and had been chartered by
a German company for the conveyance of emigrants to the United States.
The number of emigrants that had taken a passage by her at Antwerp,
and had gone on board before she weighed anchor, is stated to have
been from 176 to 200. They comprised young, respectable German
agricultural labourers, with their wives and families, and many
mechanics. Amongst the number on board were from 50 to 60 women, and
between 20 and 30 children. The ship was worked by a crew of nearly
20, part of whom were Englishmen, commanded by a Captain Whitmore; a
surgeon being on board to attend the emigrants. It was late on
Thursday when the Floridian put out to sea. The course taken
after clearing the Flemish banks was westward for the Straits of
Dover. The weather continued favourable up to 12 o'clock, when it
changed for the worse,with hail and snow.

Daybreak on Wednesday brought fearful weather; the wind
had sprung up terrifically, with a great fall of snow, and a heavy
rolling sea. The ship kept on her course, the intention being to make
for the South Foreland light; but at three o'clock P. M. she struck
with such terrific force, that her planks and false keel immediately
rushed up alongside. A scene of horror instantly presented itself on
deck — the emigrants hastened on the deck in frantic dismay.
Within a few moments of the vessel striking, the sea broke into her
hull, blowing up the hatchways, and sweeping many of the poor
creatures overboard, while others were drowned in their berths, being
unable to rise from the effects of sea sickness. Captain Whitmore,
perceiving the inevitable destruction of his ship, gave orders to his
men to launch the boats. The first boat broke adrift the moment it was
launched, and, it is said, capsized directly with two men who were in
it. The moment the second boat was lowered, the captain jumped into it
with Mrs. Whitmore (his wife). This led to a desperate rush towards
the craft. Some 20 or 30 poor creatures, men and women, leaped from
the quarter-deck of the foundering ship into the boat; the result was,
that it also instantly capsized, and the whole party were precipitated
overboard and lost. The crew took to the rigging, to which they lashed
themselves, and upwards of 100 of the emigrants congregated on the
quarter-deck. Here they had not been more than an hour before the ship
broke in two, amidships. The mainmast fell over the side with a
fearful crash and a [151/152] tremendous sea carried away the whole of
the quarter-deck with the mass of human beings on it. A frightful
shriek filled the air, and the next moment the unfortunate creatures
were struggling in the deep. By great efforts eight or ten were
rescued by the men who had secured themselves in the rigging. The
moment the ship broke in two, her cargo, mostly merchandise, floated
out and intermingled with the drowning sufferers. For some time men,
women, and children were to be seen floating about on the packages.
Ere night, however, all had disappeared.